Modern Turkey was
founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated
Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later
honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under
his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging
social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of
one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to
the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and
the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political
parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by
periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960,
1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return
of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again
helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern
coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey
intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek
takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to
the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey
recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's
Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the
Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives,
but after the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the
insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern
Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks
attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945
and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became
an associate member of the European Community; over the past
decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its
democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership
talks with the European Union.
Geography
Location:
southeastern Europe
and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the
Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black
Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea
and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Geographic
coordinates:
39 00 N, 35 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total:
780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km
Area -
comparative:
slightly larger
than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,648
km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km,
Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km,
Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Coastline:
7,200 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean
Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the
maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR
Climate:
temperate; hot, dry
summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Terrain:
high central
plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain
ranges
Elevation
extremes:
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
very severe
earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc
extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environment -
current issues:
water pollution
from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution,
particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil
spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
Environment -
international agreements:
party to:
Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography -
note:
strategic location
controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara,
Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the
legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern
portion of the country
total: 27.7
years male: 27.52 years female: 27.89 years (2005 est.)
Population
growth rate:
1.09% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
16.83 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
5.96 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Net migration
rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality
rate:
total: 41.04
deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy
at birth:
total
population: 72.36 years male: 69.94 years female: 74.91 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility
rate:
1.94 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% -
note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS -
deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun:
Turk(s) adjective: Turkish
Ethnic groups:
Turkish 80%,
Kurdish 20% (estimated)
Religions:
Muslim 99.8%
(mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
29 October 1923
(successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
National
holiday:
Republic Day, 29
October (1923)
Constitution:
7 November 1982
Legal system:
civil law system
derived from various European continental legal systems; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; note - member of
the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey
claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention
on Human Rights
Suffrage:
18 years of age;
universal
Executive
branch:
chief of state:
President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN
(14 March 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for
a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be
held May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from
among members of parliament election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on
the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60% note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the
National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority
on the third ballot
Legislative
branch:
unicameral Grand
National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms) elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA
2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the
province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of
Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for
becoming prime minister, on 14 March 2003 election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%,
CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others;
seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note -
parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to
parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2004 - AKP
368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5, vacant 1
Judicial branch:
Constitutional
Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State
(Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of
Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Political
parties and leaders:
Democratic Left
Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or
DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP
[Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Emin
SIRIN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [Ali Talip OZDEMIR];
Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican
People's Party or CHP (includes the New Turkey Party) [Deniz
BAYKAL]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment
Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBEKAN]; Social Democratic People's
Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes
translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] note: the parties listed above are some of the more
significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004
Political
pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of
Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of
Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI];
Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim
USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Confederation of Employers'
Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or
Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and
Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Union of Chambers of
Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat
HISARCIKLIOGLU]
red with a vertical
white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and
white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent
opening
Economy
Economy -
overview:
Turkey's dynamic
economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along
with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2004 still
accounted for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and
rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a
major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and
communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and
clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment;
it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end
of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the
automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance
within Turkey's export mix. In recent years the economic
situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious
imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but
this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in
output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Inflation, in recent years in
the high double-digit range, fell to 9.3% by 2004 - a 30-year
low. Despite these strong economic gains in 2002-04, which were
largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets,
IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still
plagued with high debt and deficits. The public sector fiscal
deficit exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden
of interest payments, which accounted for more than 40% of
central government spending in 2004, and to populist spending.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey remains low -
averaging less than $1 billion annually, but further economic
and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected
to boost FDI. A major political and economic issue over the next
decade is whether or not Turkey will become a member of the EU.
GDP:
purchasing power
parity - $508.7 billion (2004 est.)
apparel,
foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports -
partners:
Germany 13.9%, UK
8.8%, US 7.7%, Italy 7.4%, France 5.8%, Spain 4.2% (2004)
Imports:
$94.5 billion
f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports -
commodities:
machinery,
chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports -
partners:
Germany 12.9%,
Russia 9.3%, Italy 7.1%, France 6.4%, US 4.8%, China 4.6%, UK
4.4% (2004)
Reserves of
foreign exchange and gold:
$37.1 billion (2004
est.)
Debt - external:
$16.9 billion (2004
est.)
Currency (code):
Turkish lira (TRL),
New Turkish lira (YTL) after 1 January 2005
Currency code:
TRL, YTL
Exchange rates:
Turkish liras per
US dollar - 1,425,500 (2004), 1,500,900 (2003), 1,507,200
(2002), 1,225,600 (2001), 625,200 (2000) Note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL)was
converted to New Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old
to 1 New Turkish Lira
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Telephones -
main lines in use:
18,916,700 (2003)
Telephones -
mobile cellular:
27,887,500 (2003)
Telephone
system:
general
assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion,
especially with cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a
rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is
facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas
are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of
subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing
rapidly international: country code - 90; international service
is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the
Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece,
Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth
stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat
and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Radio broadcast
stations:
AM 16, FM 107,
shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios:
11.3 million (1997)
Television
broadcast stations:
635 (plus 2,934
repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
20.9 million (1997)
Internet country
code:
.tr
Internet hosts:
355,215 (2004)
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs):
50 (2001)
Internet users:
5.5 million (2003)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 8,697
km standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km
electrified) (2004)
Highways:
total:
354,421 km paved: 147,404 km (including 1,851 km of expressways) unpaved: 207,017 km (2002)
Waterways:
1,200 km (2003)
Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil
3,562 km (2004)
Ports and
harbors:
Gemlik, Hopa,
Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin),
Samsun, Trabzon
Merchant marine:
total: 526
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,666,895 GRT/7,311,504 DWT by type: bulk carrier 108, cargo 228, chemical tanker 45,
combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 6, passenger
5, passenger/cargo 50, petroleum tanker 33, refrigerated cargo
2, roll on/roll off 22, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 3, Denmark 2, Greece 1, Italy 1,
Switzerland 1) registered in other countries: 231 (2005)
Airports:
119 (2004 est.)
Airports - with
paved runways:
total: 87
over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with
unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
14 (2004 est.)
Military
Military
branches:
Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes Naval Air and
Naval Infantry), Air Force
Military
manpower - military age and obligation:
20 years of age
(2004)
Military
manpower - availability:
males age 20-49:
16,756,323 (2005 est.)
Military
manpower - fit for military service:
males age 20-49:
13,905,901 (2005 est.)
Military
manpower - reaching military age annually:
males:
679,734 (2005 est.)
Military
expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.155 billion
(2003)
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.3% (2003)
Military note:
in the early 1990s,
the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry
force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was
mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were
mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced
highly moblie forces with greatly enhanced firepower in
accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)
Transnational Issues
Disputes -
international:
complex maritime,
air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea;
status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest
Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters;
Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq;
border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Refugees and
internally displaced persons::
IDPs:
350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and
Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
key transit route
for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far
lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major
Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking
organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert
imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of
Turkey as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict
controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output
of poppy straw concentrate
100+ Important Documents in United States History
